Ball completes environmental testing for WorldView-2

Having completed environmental testing for WorldView-2, Ball Aerospace engineers are now in the process of integrating the satellite with the launch vehicle at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Having completed environmental testing for WorldView-2, Ball Aerospace engineers are now in the process of integrating the satellite with the launch vehicle at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Having completed environmental testing for WorldView-2, Ball Aerospace engineers are now in the process of integrating the satellite with the launch vehicle.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies has completed environmental testing for the WorldView-2 remote sensing satellite built for DigitalGlobe and has begun post-environmental performance testing. WorldView-2 is the third satellite Ball has built for DigitalGlobe’s constellation of commercial remote sensing satellites. The satellite is scheduled to launch Oct. 6 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. WorldView-2 environmental testing included thermal vacuum, electromagnetic compatibility, electromagnetic interference, vibration, shock, and acoustic testing to confirm the design integrity of the spacecraft. The Ball Aerospace BCP 5000 spacecraft, used for both WorldView-1 and WorldView-2, is designed to handle both next-generation optical and synthetic aperture radar remote sensing payloads. The BCP 5000 has a design life of more than seven years.

Industrial aluminum slabs are typically produced by blending small amounts of copper or manganese in a reservoir of molten aluminum that is rapidly cooled, a process known as direct-chill casting. Variations in the way these elements solidify can yield uneven results that weaken the final product.

Recently NASA researchers were officially cleared to begin formal feasibility studies on advanced Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) concepts under NASA’s Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) project. The investigations, three in total, are expected to take between 24 and 30 months to complete.

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